Automated teller machines (ATMs) are well known in the prior art. A variety of banking transactions can be performed using ATMs. The most common transactions are dispensing cash and receiving deposits.
Currently many ATMs only accept deposits in envelopes. The envelopes may contain checks, currency or other documents of value. The customer is required to input into the machine the value of the items deposited in the envelope using a keypad. A marking mechanism in the ATM typically marks the envelope with identifying data so it can be correlated with the customer's transaction. A record of the deposit is also made on paper and/or in electronic memory. Later, the bank or other entity operating the ATM must compare the contents of the envelope to the data input by the customer to be sure the customer entered the correct mount. The various items in the envelopes are then sorted and sent for further counting and processing.
To minimize the time required for verifying deposits, an ATM has been developed that includes mechanisms which can identify the denomination of paper money, scan and read checks, and electronically copy both sides of a check or other negotiable instrument. Such devices may also sort the deposited items, directing them to various compartments within the ATM. This reduces the time necessary to verify deposits. It also reduces the need for further processing and sorting outside the ATM. Such an apparatus for accomplishing these functions is shown in my co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/004,829, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,467 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The movement of documents within the ATM which is necessary to reliably accomplish identification, reproduction and sorting is complex. Documents must be precisely aligned in the document path to be read and reproduced. Documents must also be directed between various conveying mechanisms and compartments.
The movement of documents between various types of conveying mechanisms and holding compartments present challenges. This is because the interface between such items often includes a seam or gap in which documents may become caught or jammed. The more places or directions a particular document must be directed, the more difficult it becomes to reliably transport the document.
Thus, there exists a need for a device for supporting paper documents during transport within an ATM which can deliver documents in various selected angular directions while not having a seam upon which such documents can become caught or snagged.